Set in the area of the Bajo Deba, the Itziar Sanctuary is the centre of an important religious attraction, an essential visit for hundreds of Guipuzcoans every spring, who walk up to the top as a sign of their devotion.

The first records of the Itziar date back to the 8th Century, by means of a Carta Real (Royal Letter) dated in 1027 by Sancho el Mayor, the King of Navarre. The origin of the Sanctuary itself, dates back to the official existence of Itziar, in 1294, and is therefore the oldest Romanesque Sanctuary in Guipúzcoa.

The primitive temple was reformed in the 16th Century. Anyway, according to the legend, the building was constructed by a group of angels, who every night transported the stones from Zabaleta, the place chosen by the locals for their church.

It is dedicated to Santa María and inside the temple we find the Romanesque statue of the Virgin Mary, as well as a magnificent silver altarpiece, carved in wood by Andrés de Araoz in the 16th Century, considered one of the best in silver artwork and which represents the life of the Virgin Mary according to the gospel.

The image that presides over the main altar, with its proportional and expressive face, is famous for being one of the most beautiful of the Basque iconography. The Patron of sailors and is greatly worshiped by the Basque seamen.

Outside the temple, on the northern wing, we find the magnificent steel sculpture of "Amatasuna" (The maternity), made by the sculptor Jorge Oteiza.